FILE: Medical staffers Christopher Peter (R) and Paul Truna check on the comfort of a patient wearing a helmet-based ventilator in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center on November 29, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — Among the eight COVID-19 deaths reported Wednesday by the Utah Department of Health was a young man between the ages of 15 and 24.
There were also three people, a woman and two men, between the ages of 25 and 44.
In other words, a full half of the reported deaths from COVID-19 in Utah today involved people under the age of 45.
And while it is not known if these patients contracted the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, it is known that the delta variant accounts for 83% of new COVID-19 cases in Utah.
The Utah Department of Health reported 1,050 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, for a total of 436,487 since the pandemic began.
Of the 6,999 people tested for COVID-19 in Utah on Tuesday, 15%, or 1,050 tested positive.
Currently, the seven-day average of positive tests in Utah is 907 per day, according to health department figures.
388 people currently require hospitalization for COVID-19 in Utah. 166 of those patients require care in the intensive care unit, or ICU.
The state reported a total of eight new deaths Wednesday, for a total of 2,479 since the pandemic began. The victims include a young male, between the ages of 15 and 24, from Weber County, hospitalized at the time of his death; a woman from Cache County between the ages of 25 and 44, not hospitalized at the time of her death; one man from Utah County between the ages of 25 and 44, hospitalized at the time of his death, a man from Weber County between the ages of 25 and 44, hospitalized at the time of his death; two women from Salt Lake County between the ages of 45 and 64, one of whom was hospitalized and one of whom was not; a man from Weber County between the ages of 65 and 84 who lived in a long-term care facility; and another man from Weber County, over the age of 85, who also lived in a long-term care facility.
Utah health officials reported 8,379 vaccines administered yesterday, for a total of 3,050,326 since vaccinations began.
Thus far, 1,491,534 Utahns are fully vaccinated, and 1,689,715 have received at least one dose of vaccine.
That means about 52.7% of all Utahns have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 46.5% of all Utahns are fully vaccinated.
Currently, children under the age of 12 cannot receive the vaccine.
COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:
Utah’s Coronavirus Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Utah Coronavirus Information Line – 1-800-456-7707
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention